On Monday 29 September 2014, Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in as Afghanistan’s new president. His inauguration represented the first democratic transfer of power from one President to the next in the country’s history. In accordance with a political agreement between the two presidential candidates, the runner-up, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah was then sworn in as Afghanistan’ chief executive.

In an oath administered by the chief justice, President Ghani pledged to “support the holy religion of Islam, observe the constitution and all laws and remain vigilant for its application, guard the independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and protect the rights and interests of the people of Afghanistan.“ In his first speech as the new President of Afghanistan, he vowed to tackle poverty, corruption and security and work towards development and peace in the country.

Dignitaries including the President of Pakistan, the Vice Presidents of India and France, the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, representatives of many countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, various Ambassadors as well as Afghan leaders, past presidents and high authorities including His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan attended the inauguration. 1400 guests, including approximately 200 foreign dignitaries were in attendance.

Outgoing President H.E. Mr. Hamid Karzai also attended the inauguration. “I’m very grateful to Allah to give me the power to hand over the power to the new president today,” he said as new President Ghani was sworn in. Two Vice Presidents were also sworn in followed by swearing in of the new chief executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and his deputies.

The inauguration comes almost six months after the first round of Presidential elections was held on 5 April 2014, and follows an extensive audit of every single vote cast in the second round of Presidential elections held 14 June. The audit, unprecedented in scope and scale worldwide, was overseen by the United Nations and was preceded by an agreement between both candidates facilitated by the United States Secretary of State, John F. Kerry which called for the candidates to form a national unity government.

“Millions of Afghans voted, millions of those votes were validated through the audit process, a significant proportion of fraud was discovered in the audit and those votes were invalidated, and there is a result, which is a lawful, constitutional result,” the American Ambassador to Afghanistan said in Kabul. Afghanistan’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) presented Dr. Ghani with a certificate indicating that he won 55.27 percent out of 7.12 million total votes cast on Friday, 26 September.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Samantha Power ( United States):

The members of the Security Council welcomed the inauguration on 29 September 2014 of Dr. Ashraf Ghani as the new President of Afghanistan, marking the first democratic transition of power in the country’s history, and looked forward to the formation of the Government of National Unity with Dr. Abdullah Abdullah as its Chief Executive Officer.

The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of all parties in Afghanistan working within the framework of the Government of National Unity in order to achieve a unified, peaceful and prosperous future for all the people of Afghanistan.

The members of the Council reiterated their call for the Government of National Unity to effectively address the issues facing the country, including security, good governance, human rights, in particular for women and children, democracy and the fight against corruption, as well as economic recovery, improving the livelihood of its people and addressing the cross-cutting issue of counter-narcotics.

The members of the Council reiterated their condemnation of violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other violent extremist and terrorist groups aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country, and reasserted that no terrorist act can reverse the path towards Afghan-led peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan, which is supported by the people and the Government of Afghanistan and by the international community.

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H.E. Mr. Zarar Ahmad Osmani, visited New York this past week to head Afghanistan’s delegation to the General Debate of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Foreign Minister addressed the General Assembly on 27 September 2014 on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He expressed delight that the country has achieved a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of the presidential election and the upcoming transition of power from one elected administration to the next. “While Afghanistan faces marked challenges,” he said, “we are confident that the new government, which enjoys the full backing of a vast majority of Afghans, will strive to bring about political, security and socioeconomic prosperity to Afghanistan and by extension to the region and beyond.” Mr. Omani also reminded the international community of the ongoing struggle for peace and stability in the face of continuing terrorism and violence in Afghanistan.

In his statement, Mr. Osmani announced Afghanistan’s “Transformation Decade 2015-2025,” outlining the country’s sustainable economic development plans. He also underscored Afghanistan’s commitment to strengthening its evolving democracy and called for regional and international cooperation in overcoming the threat of ISIS and supporting a peaceful political solution in Syria.

The Foreign Minister and other members of Afghanistan’s delegation to the 69th General Assembly represented the country in a number of important High Level Ministerial meetings of key groups in which Afghanistan is involved, including the Group of 77 (G77), the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

While in New York, Mr. Osmani met with His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and held bilateral meetings with a number of Foreign Minsters on key issues. He also participated in multiple events and meetings, representing the government of Afghanistan.

During the closing days of the UNGA, Afghanistan’s delegation will participate in meetings and events in a continued effort to express its commitment to the goals of international peace, stability, partnership and security that define the momentum and purpose of the UNGA.